How Easy Jealousy Corrupts

In every generation there are those who hunger for God and then there are those who put their security in religious rules and systems rather than in God, all the while thinking they are serving God.

The thing is it is so easy to slip from our pure devotion to God to something that only looks like a relationship with our Creator. When we are in harmony with God our hearts are softened by the Spirit of God until the day we slip into becoming more religious than spiritual.  How amazing that scripture ends up corrupting our souls because we claim to rely on the text of scripture rather than on the Lord himself.

With the new movie “The Jesus Revolution” or with the revival meeting happening in Ashbury, Kentucky, people who once had a hunger for God find it easier to lash out at these events and movements because it is not what they themselves are experiencing. The criticism always revolves around violating some doctrines, not over whether people are being changed or encouraged by their experiences while in worship or hearing a word from God. I would call this spirit one of “Pharisee Jealousy and Pride” because it always seems to materialize when God is stirring people’s hearts. I guess it takes a move of God to expose people’s judgmental attitudes.

Jealousy and pride often become manifest in different ways in professed believers, but normally it is hidden in the human heart as righteous indignation or zeal for God when in truth it is something that God despises in his children.  Jealousy and pride started in Satan’s heart long ago, who wanted to be just like God for all the wrong reasons, as was revealed in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. In these and other passages, Satan didn’t like his station in life even though he was created for such beauty and purpose. He didn’t have the abilities of the creator nor his character, and didn’t want to be as loving and generous as God yet he felt he deserved more. He demanded control and power regardless of his jealousy and pride.  It is the same for those who follow his example and foolishness. God calls these traits evil, plain and simple, whether they happen in lost people or in those claiming to know God.

Isaiah 14:13-14                                                                                                                                                                                              For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’

Ezekiel 28:15                                                                                                                                                                                               “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.

Jealousy and pride in Christians is as as evil as Satan’s jealousy because it perverts our true calling and nature to be like God and it turns our lives into something selfish and self-centered. Like Cain of old, jealousy and pride brings out the worst in us and wounds the very heart of God as Cain actions did when he killed his brother Abel.

Genesis 4:3-5                                                                                                                                                                                                   At harvest time Cain brought to the LORD a gift of his farm produce, while Abel brought several choice lambs from the best of his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his offering, but he did not accept Cain and his offering.This made Cain very angry and dejected.

The insidious thing is the people of God often slip into jealousy and pride without realizing their motives have changed and they become critical in their souls. This critical spirit always manifests when others are experiencing a real move of God in their lives. Remember the Pharisees thought they were serving God when in fact they were serving their own egos and reputation. Their hatred is fueled by jealousy and pride at their hearts core.

It is all too often the jealousy and pride that looks righteous when it is actually the opposite. Throughout the gospels Jesus constantly battled the Pharisees attitudes because they had such deep seated jealousy against him. Jesus warned his disciples to be on guard against being contaminated in their sincere love for God by accepting the Pharisees jealousy as something godly and righteous.

Matthew 16:6                                                                                                                                                                                           “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

When our beliefs or scriptural concepts called doctrines override the counsel of the Holy Spirit it corrupts our hearts towards others deliverance and healing. We care more about winning the arguments about scripture than the healing of souls. It is then we get the warning sings in our own souls that a religious jealousy and prideful spirit has taken root and must be addressed or we ourselves will fall into darkness away from the God we say we love. If we continue to feed on this jealousy and prideful spirit, and it is a spirit from Satan himself, it will ruin our devotion to God and we will no longer produce the fruit of the spirit as John 15 points out.

John 15:1-2                                                                                                                                                                                                        “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

These religious attitudes will, in the end, consume our pure heart and soul devotion to Christ because our hearts end up losing spiritual discernment. We must endeavor to be aware of our own motives and the motives of self-righteous professing Christians who criticize others in the name of righteousness and devotion to God. We need to ask ourselves and others if this criticism is from the motive of love and the heart of God or is it just a jealous spirit cloaked in self-righteousness?

Consider the story of a woman tormented by a demon that caused her physical pain and suffering being healed by Jesus. Were these religious leaders glad that God set her free or were they angry and jealous, using scripture to cover their own sin of jealousy and pride?

Luke 13:11-12                                                                                                                                                                                                And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”

The Pharisees blamed Jesus for not honoring God and violating the Sabbath, which was a smoke screen for their jealousy. The average person was so intimidated by these religious people because they seemed to know more of the Bible than the average person.  Just because a person can quote scripture doesn’t necessarily mean they love God because of it.

Let us be diligent to look for people with true hearts and the love of God so as not to be hoodwinked by the religious people filled with jealousy who pretend to be godly. When we rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment we can spot the judgmental people for who and what and protect against the corruption of our own souls.

May we always be filled with the Holy Spirit daily for his guidance and wisdom as we walk this journey of faith.

Ephesians 5:18                                                                                                                                                                                               Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled (continually) with the Spirit.

Questions:

1) Are you intimidated by people who can quote scripture so freely and yet sense a lack of love in them? ( Proverbs 11:9) Don’t let knowledge fool you for godliness but seek the Holy Spirit for discernment.

2) Do you sense a judgmental attitude developing in your own soul because you have listened to the arguments of judgmental people? ( Lam 5:21) Repent of any spirit of jealousy or pride and the Holy Spirit will restore your joy in believing.

Pastor Dale